Work is progressing on my Juliana Mod wrap. It was slow going last week as the heat wave we were enduring made work on anything that rests in your lap unbearable.  That lead me to search for something light and cotton to work on. Washcloth patterns are plentiful on Ravelry and I popped several into my queue. I decided on this simple star pattern. It's proven a good choice and I'm certain in no time I'll have a collection going.

Keeping the washcloth mojo going, as part of my Year of Projects I'm continuing my lessons in Tunisian Crochet.  As with any type of crochet technique there are simple stitches, and complicated multilayer stitches that take lots of practice.  I'm still getting the hang of working with the extra long hook, so complicated isn't in my future - yet! Check in on Sunday for my YoP  update and I'll tell you all about it!

The fiber theme continues into the world of fiction with the latest knitting  mystery from Maggie Seffton, Cast On, Kill Off. This is the tenth installment in the series. Set in Fort Connor, Colorado, the House of Lambspun is the LYS that keeps the varied cast of characters connected.  Plans for Megan's wedding are all coming together, until her seamstress is found murdered.  Then the gang at Lambspun put down their needles to figure out who-done-it so they can get back to happily ever after. I call these books "mystery lite". They're often more about the relationships than the mystery and so far that seems to be the case here. Easy reading after a long, hot day!

Wednesday is a busy time, with lots of project updates and books to hear about. I hope you'll come along and visit my friends at these great blogs:

Thanks for stopping by! I love it when you leave me comments and let me know that you were here. I always try to pop over an see what you're working on too!

Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

I thought it was going to be hard to figure out how to get started with my Year of Projects. Turns out it wasn’t. Here’s what happened. I’ve got quite a bit of cotton in the stash and I want to make washcloths with it. I’m in New England where it’s been in the upper 90s  - hazy, hot and humid for way to many days in a row. Small cotton projects are where it’s at. I was searching for patterns on Ravelry and found two for cotton Tunisian Crochet Washcloths.  In spite of the heat the light bulb was flashing and I knew that I discovered the first lesson in my year long learning adventure. And that friends is how I came to spend my weekend learning Tunisian Crochet.

I am venturing into uncharted territory, so I began where I always do with something new – I hit the books.  A Rainbow of Afghans (Sedgewood Press1989) offers very limited written information, but a good diagram for the basic technique. The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting & Crochet Stitches (Readers Digest 2003) lives up to it’s name with a whole chapter dedicated to the technique. Additionally, it offers 39 pattern variations. 39! Until yesterday I was only aware of one!

Wondering what it’s all about? Me too! Here’s what I found out:

Tunisian Crochet is often referred to as the Afghan Stitch (which explains why I thought there was one pattern/stitch!). It’s a technique that is worked on a special hook that looks like a cross between a crochet hook and a knitting needle. The hooks are available in the same circumferences used in traditional crochet. Why the long hooks? Because you need it to hold the loops you create on the forward half of the row before you work them off on the return half. Confused? Don’t worry, keep reading and I’ll explain.

Typically in crochet, fabric is created by working a row of stitches, turning the piece over then working another row of stitches. Repeat until desired length. In Tunisian Crochet, each row is done in two parts. Forward and Return.  Forward is done working right to left and pulling loops or stitches onto the hook. (I imagine that this might be what it’s like to cast on in knitting, but since I’ve never done it, it’s pure speculation!).  On the Return, the loops are worked off the hook going left to right. The fabric is created without turning so the right (correct) side always faces you. There is a noticeable difference between the sides – unlike traditional crochet which makes a fabric that is basically reversible.

The fabric produced can be dense and thick. The Sourcebook recommends that you use a hook at least 2 sizes larger than what you ordinarily use based on your yarn choice. I’m using worsted weight (4) cotton which means they suggest I use a J hook. I don’t have a J hook. I have a G hook, and for better or worse – that’s what I’m using. For the purpose of my washcloth I think I’ll be okay.

Basic Tunisian fabric is made using the Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS), and the Basic Return (BR).  When you see a reference to the Afghan Stitch, this is what they mean. The pattern stitches are worked using the same Forward and Return technique with variations on how you create and remove the loops. It seems like sound advice that you become familiar with the basic Tunisian fabric before moving onto the pattern stitches.  

Now that I’m comfortable with my understanding of the world of Tunisian crochet, it’s time for the yarn and hook to meet.  Join me next time when I put the basics to work and (hopefully) I’ll have a washcloth to show you!

Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

Planning ahead for a year of projects is a daunting task for me. Typically, I avoid trying to anticipate today what I will want or be able to do that far in the future. This comes after many years of planning, scheduling and otherwise attempting to manipulate my life into submission with disastrous results! These days I’m much more of a “be here now” kinda gal!  Why then have I chosen (yes, this is a choice) to participate in a YoP? The best I can figure is because I like to learn new things and I especially like the community of bloggers and the support they offer each other. After reading through most of the threads in the Ravelry Group Come Blog-A-Long I thought, “What a great group of people. I’d like to hang out with them and give this thing a try!”

But how am I going to make a list that I have any hope of sticking to for a whole year? Last year, many people strayed quickly and often from their original lists.  This year more folks are leaning towards broader goals (I’ll crochet 10 hats for charity). This, (I think) I can do! Now I have to decide what I want to learn and how I’m going to do it.  So I started where I usually do, at the library with a big old pile of books! This is a sample of the roughly two dozen books I’ve looked at over the past few weeks!

After oohing and aahing over many, many beautiful projects (and plenty that flops), I knew that I didn’t want to commit to one book for the whole year. I decided to come up with 10 things that I want to learn about or improve upon. The books were so important in helping me choose. Here is my list, in no particular order:

• Make a sweater (that really fits!) from Custom Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein
• Improve my sock skills
• Explore the world of Granny Squares
• Learn Painted Crochet
• Dye my own yarn
• Make something with up-cycled materials
• Crochet a rug
• Design my own wrap
• Learn a new lace technique (ie: Hairpin, Bruges, or Filet)
• Make at least one sewing project from 101 One Yard Wonders
• Give double ended hooks a try
• Learn Tunisian Crochet
  

Okay, so that’s 12 things! But it’s exciting, and I’m feeling good about my list.  I took my time and really gave a lot of thought to what I want to learn and what’s realistic for me. Many of these things have been flittering about in my head for a while.  The difference is now they’re written down. I’m hopeful that a YoP will help motivate me to get busy with my Holiday Stashdown projects. A few months ago I joined up with Marie at Underground Crafter because I wanted to keep ahead of my holiday gift making, instead of having it turn into the last minute nightmare it usually becomes. To date my progress has been less than stellar. Now I’ve gone ahead and made my second public declaration of things I want to accomplish in a finite amount of time! That means it’s time to stop procrastinating and start crocheting!

I hope that you’ll stop in now and again and see how I’m doing.  I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people and having great adventures trying new things! You can pop into the group to see what everyone else is doing. Also, why not stop by Marie’s and see what’s happing in the Stashdown world.

There you have it friends! The beginning of something wonderful.

Until next time,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!